Robert Wagner 'stalled Natalie Wood rescue attempts'

The sister of Natalie Wood has claimed that the late actress's husband Robert Wagner stalled attempts to rescue her from drowning.

The body of the Rebel Without a Cause star was found in the sea near Catalina Island in California on November 29, 1981. She had gone missing from a yacht where she was dining with Wagner and Christopher Walken the night before.

"[Davern] said that everyone was quite drunk and that a fight broke out and that Natalie was in the water and he and RJ did nothing to pull her out," she told TMZ.

"He said, and this is a direct quote from what Dennis told me, 'Leave her there, teach her a lesson'."

Davern, meanwhile, has admitted to NBC that he made "some terrible decisions and mistakes" on the night of the West Side Story star's death.

"I made some terrible decisions and mistakes," he told the Today show. "I did lie on a report several years ago. I made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report.

"We didn't take any steps to see if we could locate her. I think it was a matter of, 'We're not going to look too hard, we're not going to turn on the searchlight, we're not going to notify anybody right now'."

It was confirmed at a press conference held by the LA Sheriff's Department yesterday morning (November 18) that Wagner is not a suspect.

Lieutenant John Corina added that Natalie's death is still being treated as an "accidental drowning", though Davern, Wagner and Walken are all due to be interviewed again.

A representative subsequently released a statement on behalf of Wagner and Natasha Gregson Wagner, daughter of the late actress.

It read: "Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Department, and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death."